Depart UK and fly to Cusco via Lima

On arrival at the airport one of our team will meet the group and take you to your hotel in Cusco. Once everyone has settled in a full briefing will be given by your tour leader. For lunch, you will be taken to a local restaurant after which, you will start the city tour. You will visit two of the most important monuments in Cusco: the Qoricancha Temple (Temple of the Sun) and the Cathedral. From the colonian city centre the group will then travel out to Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Q'enqo and Tambomachay. We have included a traditional Peruvian dinner this evening accompanied by traditional song and dance. Overnight in Cusco (Hotel) Meals: lunch, dinner

After breakfast, the group will travel out to the Sacred Valley for a full days exploration.The first stop is the beautiful market town of Pisac, the group will walk through the last, original Inca streets in the Valley, before starting the ascent to the fortress of Ollantaytambo. Overnight in Ollantaytambo (Hotel) Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Machu Picchu was the greatest of all the Inca cities, it was here that the Inca's chose to hide their treasures from the invading Conquestadors. It remained undiscovered and hidden by jungle for more than three hundred years. The group will travel to Machu Picchu on the train, the journey is an amazing 90 minute ride along the Urubamba River to Aguas Calientes. From here you will take a bus up to the ruins. We have included a guided tour of this incredible city where the students will learn about Inca sun worship, building, agriculture and history. The group wll return to Aguas Calientes for lunch, after which there is free time to enjoy the hot springs. Overnight in Aguas Calientes (Hotel) Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Early in the morning the group will return to Machu Picchu. There is the option to either visit the Sun Gate where the students can get magical pictures as the early morning mist rises from the ruins, or they can climb the beautiful peak of Wayna Picchu which overlooks the city and has wonderful views out across the floodplains of the Urubamba.

Everyone will return to Aguas Calientes for lunch before returning to Cusco in the afternoon. Overnight in Cusco (Hotel) Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Today the students will journey into the Andes. The first stop will be Ninamarca, a small complex of ancient, circular tombs, the Andean views from this site are incredible! At the little town of Paucartambo, once at the center of the ancient trading routes of the Incas, the students will learn about Andean communities before continuing upwards to Acjanaco. The Ranger Station here lies at 3500m above sea level and marks the entrance to Manu National Park. If the weather conditions permit, the group will be able to look out over one of the largest National Parks in Peru. From this cold and cloudy station you will then descend deeper into the cloud forest. Overnight in Manu Cloud Forest (Lodge) Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

The Cock of The Rock is the national bird of Peru, and is one of hundreds of specacular bird species found in the cloud forest. Early in the morning the group will get the chance to observe these beautiful birds at the 'lek' -a kind of mating arena where the males try to impress the females with fancy displays. On the way back to the lodge you may also spot monkeys foraging for their breakfast. Your journey then continues through the cloud forest, past waterfalls and ravines, and through one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth. The group will get a chance to tour a coca plantation and learn the history of coca and its many medicinal properties. From here the road continues to Atalaya where the group will leave the bus and board our motorised canoe for a journey of a life time into the Amazon Rainforest. The Alto Madre De Dios River is one of the most southerly tributaries of the mighty Amazon itself. Its red waters twist and turn through the leafy jungle, the canoe trip takes about one hour to reach your Amazonian home at the Manu Learning Centre.

After a warm welcome from the staff, a short safety briefing and introduction to the centre your guide will take you off on one of the many jungle trails. Overnight at Manu Learning Centre (Lodge) Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

One of the most interesting activities at the Manu Learning Centre is the monitoring of the clay lick or collpa. Early in the morning the students will join researchers at the hide. Here they can observe the activity of macaws, parrots, and parakeets as they come to feed on the clay, the array of colours in the early morning light is an amazing spectacle. After breakfast a visit to the bio-garden will provide the students with a good understanding of how the Centre's projects help work towards a sustainable future for the jungle and its human inhabitants. If time permits another jungle walk can be done before lunch. The students will spend the afternoon with one of the resident naturalists learning some simple ecological survey techniques. 

In the evening, if the sky is clear, there maybe chance for some star gazing after a hearty dinner. Overnight at the Manu Learning Centre (Lodge) Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

After an early breakfast, our boat will take the group on a two-hour trip to the hot springs of Aguas Calientes (a different one!) in the land of the native community of Shintuya. Among the trees the students will love the natural hot pools and cool waters of the creek. A picnic lunch by the river may include catfish, but only if the students catch one with the hand made rods! After lunch they will cross to the other side of the river to visit the Shintuya community. There will be an introduction to the community and a chance to speak with some of the local people. There will be a demonstation of how to make arrows and spears and the students will be taught about the local way of life. Overnight at the Manu Learning Centre (Lodge) Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast, the group will prepare for departure and take the boat back to Atalaya and from here journey back to Cusco. Leaving behind the hot steamy jungle, they will travel back up through the misty cloud forest and then back into the Andean Valleys. Overnight in Cusco (Hotel) Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast the bus will take the group to Cusco airport for the homebound flight via Lima. Meals: breakfast